In the next couple of blog posts I’m going to discuss the layout of the laptop – its cosmetic appearance, the layout of keys, and the integrated features the laptop includes.
When using the N80 for word processing, I’ve found that the touchpad for the mouse is slightly too sensitive. The smallest of brushes by your hand can lead to your writing ending up anywhere in the document. I’m sure that there’s a menu function to change the sensitivity of the touchpad, but I’m still to find it – I’ll keep you updated.
I think Asus could reduce the size of the touchpad a little – it would still function just as well with a smaller touchpad and the added distance between the space bar and the touchpad would reduce errors rather a lot.
Although the keyboard is of a good size, it doesn’t feel particularly responsive, meaning it isn’t too great to type on. The keyboard feels as though it ‘bends’ when you press keys in. Another small issue with the N80 is that the function and control keys are the wrong way around – the function key is the furthest to the left, meaning that very often, it will be pressed instead of the control key. As I said, a minor issue which I’ll get used to soon I’m sure.
The keyboard also lacks any real ‘feel’ to it in my opinion – it doesn’t feel particularly sturdy, with the keys needing to be pressed quite hard in before the stroke is actually recognised. The keys are also quite loud when typing, which may be more of a problem to the more business-savvy users this laptop is geared toward who may find that whilst using it on a train or plane, other passengers get slightly irritated. Using the laptop on a train earlier today, I turned heads when I started typing due to the noise the keyboard makes!
In my next blog post I’ll conclude my views on the cosmetic appearance and layout of the N80Vc, with the emphasis on the positive points it has. If you have anything you want me to look at or talk about, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help!
Bye for now!
